The 5 Ways We Survived Our First Podcast

So, we just finished up our interview with Vistaprint Small Business Stories, and it was so close to being a real disaster (think babies screaming during recording!). However, we were totally prepared for anything.  You might not have a baby with you, but you might find The 5 Ways We Survived Our First Podcast helpful. We hope so!

We were honored to be interviewed for Vistaprint Small Business Stories - a new podcast featuring small businesses on the rise.  At Jamber, we’re not only growing a small business on the rise, but we’re also growing a young family, and for this podcast we had to bring our 9-mo old baby.  He was on schedule to take a nap during the podcast recording, until he decided to take his nap on the car ride in instead. So, when we were at the recording studio he was wide-awake and enthralled by the microphones, headphones, and wires, and started yelling, in a cute, but distracting way.  Thank goodness for re-recording and editing!

Luckily, we had prepared ahead of time, and you can, too.  Here are our tips:

The Five Ways to Prepare for Your Podcast

1. Before recording day, ask the host (1) if he prefers to record straight through, or if he allows for re-do’s, and (2) for a list of questions that the host plans to ask you.

If you can do re-records, you may feel more free to make mistakes.  If something goes wrong, just say – “actually, can you ask me that question again”?  If the host prefers to record all the way through, then you should plan on no re-do’s.  In both cases, a list of questions will help you prepare for the interview.

2. Request that you don’t start recording until after 5 minutes of chatting with the host…with all of the equipment on and set up.

This will allow you to relax, warm up your voice, and get used to your new surroundings before you start recording.  Having to speak into a microphone, while wearing enormous headphones is kind of weird; better get used to it.  

3. Know what 1 or 2 messages you want your audience to walk away with.

These should be the messages that you infuse throughout everything you say during the podcast, so that when the podcast is over, listeners know what message you were trying to get across.

4. Write out the questions, with answers, that you would like the host to ask you.

You could bring a copy of these questions to the podcast for the host (or better yet, email them ahead of time), and bring a copy for yourself.  However, you don’t want to be crinkling paper during your podcast, so better to internalize these questions and answers ahead of time.

5. Leave the distractions at home!  If possible, leave your phone in the car, and think through any other noises or distractions that could take away from your podcast.